IN  THE 

VESTiBULjjJMITED 

BY 

BRANDER  MATTHEWS 


Tr 


HARPERS 

fBLACK&WHITE 

<£)  C*  r-  »-«.  w  i^  /-• 


IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 


BY 

BRANDER  MATTHEWS 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER   AND    BROTHERS 
1892 


Copyright.  1^92,  by  HAKPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  rights  reserved. 


THE   AUTHOR    OF 

"THE  PARLOR  CAR"   "THE  SLEEPING  CAR" 

AND 

"THE  ALBANY  DEPOT" 

THE    AUTHOR    OF 

"IN    THE    VESTIBULE    LIMITED" 
INSCRIBES    IT 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGH 

I.  IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR    FROM   BOSTON    ...  13 

II.  IN  THE   DINING-CAR    FROM    NEW   YORK        .       .  33' 

III.  IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON    .       .       .47 

IV.  IN   THE   SMOKING-CAR    FROM   NEW   YORK    .       .  67 

V.  IN  THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM    BOSTON"     .      .       .83 


IN    THE 
SLEEPING-CAR  FROM  BOSTON 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON 

THE  New  York  and  Chicago  Limit 
ed  train,  composed  wholly  of  vestibule 
"  sleepers  "  (with  a  subsidiary  baggage- 
car  and  a  comfortable  dining-car),  leaves 
the  Grand  Central  station  in  New  York 
every  morning  at  ten  minutes  before  ten 
o'clock ;  and  about  three  hours  later  it 
arrives  at  Albany,  where  there  is  adjoined 
to  it  another  sleeper  (of  the  same  vesti 
bule  fashioning),  which  has  left  Boston 
at  seven  o'clock  that  morning.  Then  the 
train  which  has  come  up  the  valley  of 
the  Hudson,  lengthened  by  the  added 
car  which  has  come  across  the  valley  of 
the  Connecticut,  starts  out  of  the  Albany 
station  at  a  quarter  past  one  o'clock  on 
its  journey  up  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 


14  IN    THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

and  thence  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  across  the  prairies  of  Michigan  to 
Chicago. 

One  afternoon  in  the  last  week  of  Sep 
tember,  when  this  train  drew  out  of  the 
Albany  station  in  the  teeth  of  a  driving 
rain — the  tail  end  of  the  equinoctial  storm 
— there  sat  in  the  car  which  had  come 
from  Boston  a  young  man  of  perhaps 
twenty-eight  or  thirty,  solidly  built,  with 
a  firm  mouth,  and  with  a  pair  of  resolute 
gray  eyes  which  contrasted  with  his  thick 
brown  hair.  He  occupied  the  forward 
section  on  the  western  side  of  the  sleeper, 
and  a  heavy  leather  valise  lay  on  the  seat 
before  him,  with  the  October  number  of 
the  Arctic  Monthly  tucked  beneath  one 
of  its  straps.  A  New  York  morning  pa 
per  was  held  tightly  in  the  young  man's 
grasp.  But  he  was  not  reading  it,  al 
though  he  had  his  glasses  on.  He  was 
staring  out  of  the  window  at  his  left, 
though  the  pane  was  so  bespattered  with 
rain-drops  that  it  was  scarcely  possible 
to  see  even  the  telegraph  poles  by  the 


IN   THE   bLEEI'ING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON      15 

side  of  the  track.  He  had  chanced  to 
notice  the  date — September  27th — and 
then  he  had  suddenly  remembered  that 
this  had  been  his  wedding  day.  Septem 
ber  27th  was  the  day  she  had  set  for  them 
to  be  married ;  not  only  had  the  engage 
ment  been  announced,  and  many  of  the 
wedding  presents  received,  but  even  the 
cards  had  been  ordered.  Yet  here  he 
was  going  West,  alone,  almost  at  the  very 
hour  when  he  had  hoped  to  stand  with 
her  at  the  altar  before  which  they  were 
to  be  made  man  and  wife.  And  it  was 
all  because  of  a  foolish  quarrel  about 
nothing,  in  which  both  of  them  had  been 
wrong,  no  doubt,  and  for  which  both  of 
them  were  paying  the  penalty.  He  loved 
her  as  much  as  ever,  and  he  cursed  the 
miserable  pride  which  had  prevented  his 
going  to  her  once  again  to  find  out  wheth 
er  she  did  not  love  him  still  despite  their 
disagreement  and  their  silly  parting. 

Her  figure  rose  before  him  again  as  he 
continued  to  gaze  out  of  the  car  window 
— indeed  it  was  rarelv  that  she  was  not 


16  IN    THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

before  his  vision — and  he  saw  once  more 
the  flash  of  her  black  eyes,  and  he  caught 
the  glint  of  the  sunlight  on  the  coils  of 
her  black  hair,  and  he  noted  again  the 
trembling  of  the  sensitive  little  mouth  as 
she  told  him  that  they  had  made  a  mis 
take,  and  that  it  was  well  they  had  found 
it  out  before  it  was  too  late,  and  that 
they  had  best  part  forever.  And  as  the 
rain  beat  hard  upon  the  window  through 
which  the  young  man  looked  as  through 
a  glass  darkly,  seeing  nothing,  he  won 
dered  why  he  had  taken  his  dismissal 
calmly.  He  marvelled  now  that  he  had 
accepted  her  unjust  accusations,  and  that 
he  had  not  defended  himself  more  ener 
getically.  He  recalled  his  emotions  at 
the  moment  of  the  parting ;  he  felt  again 
the  hot  wave  of  indignation  that  she 
should  think  so  meanly  of  him  as  to  be 
lieve  him  capable  of  the  fault  with  which 
he  was  charged.  He  knew  now  by  the 
chill  at  his  heart  that  his  pride  had  been 
misplaced.  He  knew  now  that  it  had 
been  his  dutv  to  clear  himself  in  her 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR  FROM  BOSTON      l"J 

eyes  then  and  at  once.  He  knew  now 
that  he  had  not  acted  for  the  best.  And 
it  was  too  late,  for  the  day  had  come 
which  had  been  set  for  the  wedding; 
and  here  he  was  going  West  alone,  and 
he  did  not  know  even  where  she  might 
be — except  that  he  and  she  were  parted. 
After  five  years'  hard  work  in  the 
West,  Hallett  Larcom  had  earned  a  va 
cation,  and  he  had  come  East  early  in 
July  for  the  first  time  since  he  had  been 
graduated  from  the  Harvard  Law  School. 
He  had  gone  to  spend  a  few  days  with  a 
classmate  at  Narragansett  Pier,  and  there 
he  met  Anita  Vernon,  and  there  he  had 
staid  until  he  had  made  her  promise  to 
marry  him.  She  was  an  orphan  ;  a  sis 
ter  of  the  classmate  at  whose  house  they 
had  met.  She  lived  in  New  York  with 
an  old-maid  aunt,  Miss  Mary  Van  Dyne, 
and  she  was  spending  the  summer  at  the 
Pier  with  her  brother,  Rudolph  Vernon. 
After  the  lovers'  quarrel  that  night  she 
had  left  Narragansett  by  the  earliest 
train  the  next  morning,  sending  back. 


l8  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

without  a  word,  the  engagement  ring  he 
had  given  her  but  a  few  days  before.  On 
receipt  of  this,  Hallett  Larcom  had  been 
seized  with  a  desire  to  rush  off  to  New 
York  after  her,  and  to  insist  on  explain 
ing  all,  and  to  force  her  to  love  him  again 
as  he  loved  her  still.  But  his  pride  was 
strong,  and  he  knew  that  he  had  been 
unjustly  accused,  and  he  did  nothing. 
He  lingered  at  the  Pier  for  a  week  or 
more  in  hope  of  hearing  from  her;  then 
he  had  gone  back  to  Boston  to  his  rela 
tives  there,  forbidding  them  to  ask  ques 
tions,  and  indignantly  denying  that  Anita 
Vernon  was  in  any  way  to  blame  for  break 
ing  off  the  match.  At  last,  cutting  his  va 
cation  short,  he  had  started  back  to  Den 
ver,  in  the  hope  that  hard  work  might 
bring  surcease  of  sorrow.  Until  his  eyes 
had  fallen  on  the  date  of  the  newspaper, 
he  had  not  known  that  he  was  taking  a 
journey  on  the  very  day  she  had  set  for 
the  wedding. 

So  intent  was  he  in  following  the  train 
of  bitter  thoughts  and  of  delightful  mem- 


IN    THE    SLEEPING-CAR   FROM    BOSTON      1Q 

ories  which  the  discovery  had  started  that 
he  had  not  noticed  the  movements  of  the 
other  passengers  in  the  car. 

As  soon  as  the  Boston  sleeper  had 
been  joined  at  Albany  to  the  train  from 
New  York,  the  two  ladies  who  occupied 
the  section  immediately  behind  him  had 
left  their  seats,  and  gone  forward  into 
the  dining-car  for  luncheon.  Hallett 
Larcom  had  barely  remarked  them  as 
they  passed,  and  he  was  too  absorbed  by 
his  own  thoughts  to  pay  any  attention  to 
them  when  they  returned. 

One  of  them  was  an  alert  old  lady  of 
nearly  seventy,  brisk  and  cheerful,  with 
ample  gray  hair  and  the  most  wonderful 
bright  blue  eyes.  The  other  lady  was 
younger,  scant  sixty  perhaps,  yet  of  a 
much  more  sedate  appearance,  as  though 
conscious  of  her  duty  as  the  chaperon 
of  her  more  frivolous  companion.  She 
called  the  pleasant  old  lady  with  the  curls 
and  the  smile  "  Miss  Marlenspuyk,"  and 
the  pleasant  old  lady  called  her  "  Mrs. 
Hitchcock." 


20  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

As  the  two  ladies  resumed  their  seats 
behind  Hallett  Larcom,  they  continued 
their  conversation. 

"  I  met  her  last  year  in  Washington," 
said  Miss  Marlenspuyk,  "and  we  were 
having  a  delicious  chat,  when  some  man 
broke  in  and  carried  her  off.  That's  the 
trouble  with  Washington— it's  so  hard  to 
have  your  talk  out ;  it's  the  city  of  mag 
nificent  distances  and  interrupted  con 
versations.  Now  in  Philadelphia  nobody 
ever  interrupts  anybody.  That's  why  I 
like  to  go  there  ;  they  let  me  have  my  say 
out.  You  see,  my  mother  was  a  Phila- 
delphian,  so  they  tolerate  me.  You  know 
in  Philadelphia  they  hold  that  the  Tree 
of  Life  is  a  family  tree,  and  they  think 
that  Columbus  discovered  America  just 
to  get  acquainted  with  the  Biddies." 

Mrs.  Hitchcock  laughed  lightly,  but 
with  dignity.  "  What  a  remarkable  wom 
an  you  are !"  she  returned  ;  "  and  so  rest 
less,  too.  You  are  going  now  from  Bos 
ton  to  Chicago,  and  last  winter  you 
divided  yourself  between  New  York  and 


IN  THE  SLEEi'IN-G-CAK    FROM    BOSTON 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM    BOSTON     23 

Philadelphia  and  Washington.  I  don't 
believe  you  will  be  satisfied  in  heaven ; 
you  will  find  it  too  monotonous." 

"Oh,  I  shall  make  out,  I'm  sure,"  re 
sponded  the  old  maid,  cheerily.  "  I  have 
read  that  '  in  my  Father's  house  there 
are  many  mansions/  and  I  expect  I  shall 
go  visiting  around." 

This  time  Mrs.  Hitchcock's  little  laugh 
indicated  that  she  was  slightly  shocked. 
All  she  said  was,  "Oh,  Miss  Marlen- 
spuyk!" 

"  You  mustn't  mind  what  I  say,"  the 
old  lady  went  on.  "  I  must  talk.  I'm  a 
conversational  Catling  -  gun  —  at  least, 
that's  what  Rudolph  Vernon  called  me 
last  year.  You  know  Rudolph  Vernon, 
don't  you,  Mrs.  Hitchcock — the  brother 
of  Anita  ?" 

By  chance  these  proper  names  fell  into 
Hallett  Larcom's  ear,  and  roused  him 
from  his  reverie.  He  had  no  desire  to 
overhear  his  neighbors' conversation,  but 
the  sound  of  her  name  was  an  irresisti 
ble  temptation. 


24  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

"I've  met  him,"  Mrs.  Hitchcock  re 
plied. 

"Anita  spent  part  of  the  summer  at 
his  place  at  Narragansett  Pier,"  Miss  Mar- 
lenspuyk  continued.  "  It  was  there  that 
she  met  the  man  she  was  going  to  mar 
ry  ;  but  I'm  afraid  he  didn't  know  enough 
to  appreciate  her,  as  the  engagement 
seems  to  have  been  broken  off  suddenly. 
She's  a  good  girl,  and  she'll  make  a  good 
wife  some  of  these  days ;  and  when  I 
heard  that  she  was  going  to  marry  this 
Larcom  from  out  West,  somehow  I  had 
hopes-  that  she  had  found  a  real  man, 
and  not  one  of  the  little  whipper-snap 
pers  we  see  every  summer  at  the  water 
ing-places  nowadays  —  mere  broilers,  I 
call  them." 

The  conversation  was  getting  per 
sonal  ;  still  the  man  in  the  section  in 
front  of  the  speaker  could  not  help  but 
hear. 

"  We  must  take  men  as  we  find  them," 
said  Mrs.  Hitchcock,  philosophically. 
She  wore  black,  merely  edged  with  crape, 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON     25 

and  there  was  the  faintest  outline  of  a 
widow's  cap  inside  her  bonnet. 

"  I  wonder  how  it  is  I  never  found  a 
man  who  would  take  me?"  returned  Miss 
Marlenspuyk,  with  a  smile  and  a  shake 
of  her  silver-gray  curls. 

"  So  do  I,  indeed,  my  dear,"  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock  responded.  "  I  have  often  said  I 
don't  see  how  it  was  you  never  married." 

"  '  Nobody  axed  me,  sir,  she  said,'  "  the 
old  maid  returned,  laughing  heartily ; 
"and  I'm  not  like  a  government  con 
tract,  I  can't  advertise  myself  under  the 
head  of '  Proposals  Invited.'  " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,  really,  that  no 
man  ever  proposed  to  you?"  inquired 
Mrs.  Hitchcock,  with  feminine  interest. 

"Not  one,"  answered  Miss  Marlen 
spuyk.  "  I  thought  one  was  going  to 
speak  once,  but  he  didn't.  He  was  a  lieu 
tenant  in  my  father's  regiment,  and  he 
danced  with  me  three  times  running  at 
a  West  Point  ball,  just  before  he  joined 
his  company  and  went  to  the  Mexican 
war.  He  was  killed  at  Chapultepec,  and 


26  IN   THE  VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

I  lost  my  last  chance.  I  believe  girls 
nowadays  think  nothing  of  refusing  half 
a  score  of  good  offers  before  they  pick 
the  right  one.  I've  a  great  mind  to  go 
forward  into  the  dining-car  again,  and  ask 
Annie  Vernon  how  many  times  she  has 
had  to 'decline  with  thanks,' as  the  edi 
tors  say." 

Hallett  Larcom  started.  It  needed  all 
his  self-control  to  prevent  his  turning 
around  and  breaking  into  the  conversa 
tion  of  the  two  ladies  behind  him.  If  he 
understood  what  the  old  lady  had  just 
said,  then  the  woman  he  loved  was  in 
the  very  same  train  with  him.  And  if 
she  were?  His  heart  gave  a  bound  as 
he  realized  that  fortune  might  still  favor 
him  with  another  chance. 

A  sudden  gust  of  wind  again  flecked 
the  car  window  with  little  drops  of  rain; 
and  then  the  train  passed  on  out  of  the 
storm,  and  there  was  even  a  hint  of  sun 
shine  at  the  edge  of  the  clouds  on  the 
hill-tops  across  the  river. 

"Miss  Vernon  is  a  pretty  girl,  as  you 


IN    THE    SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON     27 

say,"  Mrs.  Hitchcock  returned,  "  and  that 
gray  suit  is  becoming  to  her.  No  doubt 
she  has  had  her  share  of  attention." 

Larcom  listened  with  an  intentness  of 
which  he  felt  ashamed.  His  ears  had 
not  deceived  him,  then  ;  there  was  a  Miss 
Vernon  in  the  dining-car.  The  old  lady 
had  called  her  Annie,  and  this  was  the 
name  by  which  Rudolph  Vernon's  sister 
had  been  christened.  "  Anita  "  was  little 
more  than  a  nickname  given  to  her  by  a 
schoolmate,  becaube  of  the  black  eyes 
and  brown  skin,  which  seemed  to  insist 
on  a  Spanish  name.  Yet  "  Vernon  "  was 
not  very  uncommon,  and  it  might  well 
be  that  there  were  other  Annie  Vernons 
in  the  world  besides  the  one  he  was 
longing  for. 

"  And  she  deserved  it  all,  no  doubt," 
Miss  Marlenspuyk  responded.  "  She's  a 
bright  little  body.  Nothing  is  more  sad 
dening  than  foolish  gayety,  I  find,  and 
so  many  girls  nowadays  are  giddy  and 
giggling.  But  Annie  Vernon  is  whole 
some.  Yet  I  don't  believe  even  she  can 


28  IN    THE    VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

thaw  out  the  old  couple  she  is  travelling 
with." 

"Who  are  they?"  asked  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock.  "  They  seem  very  plain  people  ; 
not  used  to  society,  I  thought." 

"  His  name's  Carkendal,"  Miss  Marlen- 
spuyk  answered.  "  He's  from  Rhinebeck, 
or  Peekskill,  or  somewhere  up  there,  I 
believe,  and  he's  the  new  Second  Vice- 
President  of  the  Methuselah  Life-insur 
ance  Company.  That's  the  company  of 
which  Annie  Vernon's  father  was  Presi 
dent  until  he  died  three  years  ago,  you 
know." 

"  I  remember  now,"  said  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock. 

"  Mr.  Carkendal  is  taking  his  wife  with 
him  on  his  annual  tour  to  inspect  all  the 
agencies  of  the  Methuselah  company  in 
the  West,"  Miss  Marlenspuyk  continued. 
"  And  I  suppose  Annie  Vernon  is  going 
out  to  Denver  with  them." 

This  last  sentence  Hallett  Larcom  did 
not  catch,  for  as  soon  as  he  heard  that 
the  Annie  Vernon  on  that  train  was  the 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    UOSTON     2Q 

daughter  of  the  late  President  of  the 
Methuselah  Life-insurance  Company,  he 
knew  that  the  woman  he  loved  was  near 
him.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  left  the 
sleeper. 

"  Dear  me  !"  cried  Mrs.  Hitchcock. 
"  That  young  man  jumped  up  so  sudden 
ly  it  quite  startled  me." 

"  I  wonder  what  it  was  we  said  that 
scared  him,"  Miss  Marlenspuyk  respond 
ed.  "  Unless  I'm  very  much  mistaken,  he 
has  been  taking  in  our  conversation  in 
tently  for  the  last  five  minutes." 

" '  Listeners  never  hear  any  good  of 
themselves,'  "  quoted  Mrs.  Hitchcock. 

"  And  rarely  of  other  people,  either," 
added  Miss  Marlenspuyk. 


IN   THE 
DINING-CAR  FROM  NEW   YORK 


IN    THE   DINING-CAR   FROM   NEW   YORK    33 


II 

IN   THE   DINING-CAR   FROM    NEW   YORK 

HALLETT  LARCOM  was  resolved  to  see 
Anita  Vernon  again,  and  at  once.  Put 
ting  his  pride  in  his  pocket,  he  intended 
to  make  an  urgent  appeal  for  her  forgive 
ness.  He  did  not  know  how  she  would 
receive  him,  but  he  was  determined  to 
insist  on  an  interview,  brief  though  it 
might  be,  and  inconveniently  public  as 
it  must  be  in  a  crowded  railroad  car. 
He  knew  that  Mrs.  Carkendal,  who  was 
Anita's  aunt,  did  not  like  him,  and  had 
always  been  opposed  to  his  marriage  with 
her  niece,  and  he  decided  that  it  would 
be  wiser  to  keep  her  in  ignorance  of  his 
presence,  if  this  were  possible. 

The  Boston  sleeper  had  been  attached 
to  the  end  of  the  train,  and  when  Lar- 


34  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

com  passed  across  the  vestibuled  plat 
form,  he  found  that  he  had  to  traverse 
three  long  New  York  and  Chicago  sleep 
ers  before  he  came  to  the  dining-car. 
Even  when  he  reached  this  he  had  to 
go  down  a  narrow  passage  by  the  side  of 
the  kitchen  and  the  pantry  before  he 
came  to  the  broad  central  space  where 
the  tables  were  set. 

He  was  all  aglow  for  a  sight  of  her 
face  again,  and  with  the  ardent  desire  for 
a  reconciliation.  He  had  glanced  right 
and  left  as  he  went  through  the  train, 
fearing  that  she  might  have  finished  her 
luncheon  and  returned  to  her  place.  But 
when  he  came  to  the  dining  compart 
ment,  there  she  was  before  him. 

He  dropped  into  the  nearest  vacant 
chair  without  taking  his  eyes  from  her. 
She  was  seated  on  the  other  side  of  the 
car,  three  tables  away  from  him.  Her 
place  faced  his,  and  in  front  of  her  sat 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carkendal,  whose  forbid 
ding  backs  were  turned  towards  the 
door  through  which  Larcom  had  entered. 


IN   THK   DINING-CAR    FROM    NEW  YORK    35 

At  first  she  did  not  see  him.  She  was 
looking  out  of  the  window,  still  dotted 
with  little  drops  of  rain.  As  he  gazed, 
he  thought  he  discovered  a  weary  droop 
of  the  eyelids,  and  he  was  sure  that  she 
was  paler  and  thinner  than  when  they 
had  parted  a  few  weeks  before  at  Narra- 
gansett  Pier.  He  saw  that  she  had  suf 
fered  from  the  separation,  and  he  longed 
to  take  her  in  his  arms  again  to  comfort 
her. 

The  new  Second  Vice-President  of  the 
Methuselah  Life-insurance  Company  was 
concluding  an  elaborate  luncheon,  in 
which  pleasant  task  his  wife  had  been 
aiding  and  abetting  him ;  but  the  little 
food  on  her  niece's  plate  was  scarcely 
touched.  Larcom  saw  Mrs.  Carkendal 
speak  to  Anita,  evidently  urging  her  to 
eat,  but  the  girl  shook  her  head  languid 
ly,  still  staring  out  of  the  rain-besprin 
kled  window. 

Larcom  could  not  take  his  eyes  from 
her  face  even  when  the  waiter  came  and 
stood  by  the  side  of  his  table.  At  last 


36  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

the  lover  became  aware  of  the  attendant's 
presence,  and  waved  him  away  impa 
tiently. 

"  I  don't  want  anything,"  he  cried. 
Then,  suddenly  recalling  his  situation, 
and  finding  himself  seated  at  a  table  in 
a  dining-car,  he  said,  hastily,  "Oh,  well, 
you  may  bring  me  what  you  like." 

"Soup?"  asked  the  man,  a  little  sur 
prised. 

"Yes,  soup,"  he  answered;  "that  will 
do." 

A  moment  after  the  waiter  had  gone 
back  to  the  pantry  to  give  the  order,  Ani 
ta  Vernon  moved  uneasily,  as  though  un 
comfortable  under  Larcom's  direct  stare. 
As  she  turned  her  head  from  the  window, 
he  was  gazing  at  her  imploringly,  with 
the  adoration  of  love  in  his  eyes.  Their 
glances  met,  and  for  a  second  they  looked 
each  other  full  in  the  face. 

She  flushed  instantly,  and  then  she 
dropped  her  glance,  and  the  color  fled 
from  her  cheeks.  His  heart  beat  quick 
ly,  but  he  continued  to  watch  her  with 


IN   THE   DINING-CAR    FROM    NEW  YORK    37 

the  same  silent  submission  in  his  eyes. 
She  broke  off  a  bit  of  the  roll  beside  her 
plate,  and  crumbled  it  nervously  in  her 
fingers.  The  blood  slowly  came  back  to 
her  face,  and  then  deserted  it  again.  She 
reached  out  for  the  glass  of  water  before 
her,  and  took  two  or  three  little  sips.  As 
she  set  down  the  glass,  she  raised  her 
eyes  again,  and  again  they  met  his  ;  and 
this  time  she  could  not  but  see  his  ap 
pealing  expression,  pathetic  in  its  self- 
surrender.  In  that  second  glance,  brief 
as  it  was,  she  recognized  that  he  had 
suffered  also.  There  was  a  line  in  his 
forehead  she  had  never  seen  before ;  he 
seemed  worn  and  heart-sore.  She  was 
sorry  for  him. 

In  the  golden  days  of  their  summer 
courting  at  Narragansett  Pier,  when  they 
were  often  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of 
merry  young  people  on  the  beach,  at  the 
Casino,  on  the  "  Rocks,"  off  yachting,  or 
away  on  some  excursion,  he  had  devised 
a  little  signal  whereby  he  could  commu 
nicate  his  desire  to  have  speech  with  her 


.}8  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

alone,  if  only  for  a  minute  or  two.  If  she 
noticed  that  he  had  taken  off  his  eye 
glasses  temporarily  and  hung  them  on 
the  upper  button  of  his  coat,  she  under 
stood  that  he  wanted  a  word  in  her  pri 
vate  ear  ;  and  if  then  she  raised  her  hand 
to  adjust  a  chance  hair-pin,  this  told  him 
that  she  had  seen  his  signal. 

Now  when  they  sat  apart  in  the  din 
ing-car  after  the  long  weeks  of  disheart 
ening  separation,  he  removed  his  glasses, 
and  by  an  almost  automatic  movement  he 
hung  them  on  the  accustomed  button  of 
his  coat.  Apparently  she  was  not  look 
ing  in  his  direction,  but  she  was  some 
how  conscious  of  this  signal.  Again  the 
color  flushed  her  cheeks,  and  fled  at  once, 
leaving  them  paler  than  before,  and  then 
a  hesitating  hand  stole  up  to  thrust  back 
a  straggling  wisp  of  hair.  All  at  once  hope 
returned  to  the  man  who  was  following 
her  every  motion  with  wistful  glance,  and 
now  he  made  sure  that  she  was  willing 
that  he  should  speak  to  her. 

The  waiter  brought  Larcom  the  soup, 


IN  THE   DINING-CAR   FROM    NEW  YORK    39 

and  was  sent  away  impatiently.  Soon  it 
was  apparent  to  the  young  lover  that  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Carkendal  had  finished  their 
repast.  The  waiter  withdrew  from  their 
table  with  obvious  dissatisfaction,  bear 
ing  in  his  hand  the  exact  money  needed 
to  liquidate  their  bill.  Seemingly  the 
new  Second  Vice-President  of  the  Me 
thuselah  Life-insurance  Company  asked 
Anita  Vernon  if  she  were  ready  to  re 
turn  to  their  own  car.  She  nodded,  and 
rose  to  her  feet  ;  and  then  once  more, 
and  for  the  fourth  time,  her  cheeks  flamed 
up  and  whitened  again. 

As  it  happened,  the  dining-car  had 
been  slowly  emptying  itself,  and  a  scant 
half-dozen  passengers  remained  in  it 
when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carkendal  left  their 
table  and  turned  to  go  out.  Oddly 
enough,  the  hat  which  Hallett  Larcom 
had  been  holding  on  his  lap  for  a  few 
seconds  fell  to  the  floor,  and  he  had  to 
bend  down  to  pick  it  up.  So  far  did  he 
stoop  that  Mrs.  Carkendal  followed  her 
husband  down  the  aisle  to  the  door  of 


40  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

the  dining-car  without  catching  sight  of 
the  man  to  whom  her  niece  had  been  en 
gaged.  Miss  Vernon  came  after  her 
aunt.  Her  hand  hung  by  her  side,  and 
as  she  passed,  it  was  seized  by  the  young 
fellow  who  had  gone  down  on  his  knees 
but  a  moment  earlier.  She  withdrew  it 
gently,  but  not  before  he  had  managed 
to  imprint  a  kiss  on  it,  and  not  before  he 
had  felt  a  faint  answering  pressure  of  her 
tapering  fingers. 

"  I  must  speak  to  you,"  he  whispered, 
as  she  went  on,  "  and  now  !" 

She  made  no  response,  walking  firmly, 
as  though  she  had  not  heard. 

"  Aunty,"  she  cried,  suddenly,  pausing 
just  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carkendal  reached 
the  door,  "  I  think  I'll  change  my  mind, 
and  have  a  cup  of  coffee,  after  all." 

Mrs.  Carkendal  turned  back.  "Very 
well,  my  child,"  she  said.  "  Shall  I  wait 
here  with  you  ?" 

"  Oh  no,"  responded  the  girl.  "  You 
go  on  with  Uncle  Carkendal.  I  shall  be 
back  in  a  few  minutes." 


IN   THE   DINING-CAR    FROM   NEW  YORK    4! 

"  Don't  be  long,"  said  aunty,  as  she 
turned  again  to  follow  the  new  Second 
Vice-President  of  the  Methuselah  Life- 
insurance  Comoany  through  the  vesti- 
buled  passage  to  the  adjoining  sleeper, 
where  their  sections  were. 

Then  Miss  Vernon  walked  quietly  back 
to  the  seat  she  had  just  vacated,  and  or 
dered  a  cup  of  coffee. 

At  last,  looking  up,  as  though  by 
chance,  she  saw  her  lover's  eager  eyes 
still  fixed  upon  her. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Larcom  !"  she  cried.  "  Is 
that  really  you  ?  Who  would  ever  have 
thought  of  seeing  you  here  ?" 

The  few  other  passengers  in  the  din 
ing  car  saw  nothing  to  call  for  remark  in 
this  chance  meeting  of  a  young  man  and 
a  young  woman.  The  portly  clergyman 
who  was  then  paying  his  bill  thought  that 
the  young  fellow  was  very  lucky  to  know 
such  a  pretty  girl. 

"  They  are  a  good-looking  couple,"  he 
said  to  himself  as  he  passed  them  on  his 
way  forward  to  the  smoking-car.  "  Why 


42  IN    THE    VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

isn't  he  enterprising  enough  to  make  her 
marry  him  ?" 

Larcom  was  by  her  side  almost  as  soon 
as  she  had  spoken  his  name.  "  Yes,  it  is 
I,"  he  answered  ;  "  and  I  am  happy  to  be 
here  since  I  see  you  again.  Oh,  Nita, 
Nita,  I  have  longed  for  you  all  these 
weeks !  And  now  I  have  found  you 
again,  I  shall  make  you  listen  to  me." 

Just  then  the  waiter  brought  the  cup  of 
coffee  she  had  ordered.  When  at  length 
he  departed,  overpaid  and  smiling  she 
looked  at  her  lover  and  spoke  rapidly  : 

"  You  need  not  make  me  listen  to  you 
at  all.  Indeed  you  needn't  say  a  word ; 
I  know  what  you  want  to  tell  me.  I've 
known  for  weeks  now  that  the  miserable 
story  isn't  true  that  I  was  foolish  enough 
to  believe.  It  is  I  who  want  you  to  lis 
ten  to  me  till  you  promise  to  forgive  me 
for  having  been  so  mean  as  to  think  that 
you  could  ever  be  so  base  as  I  thought 
you  were.  Oh,  I  don't  know  how  I  ever 
did  it,  and  I  don't  see  why  you  didn't  in 
sist  on  explaining  everything." 


IN   THE   DINING-CAR    FROM    NEW  YORK    43 

"  I  know,"  he  answered,  penitently — 
"  I  know,  Anita  ;  it's  all  my  fault.  I  was 
proud,  and  I've  been  ashamed  of  it  ever 
since.  But  now  I  have  you  again,  I — " 

"  But  you  haven't  me  now,"  she  broke 
in.  "  I'm  going  out  West.  I'm  travel 
ling  with  my  aunt,  you  know.  I  can't 
stay  here  gossiping  with  you.  They  will 
be  wondering  where  I  am." 

"  I  must  talk  to  you,"  he  returned,  for 
cibly.  "  And  you  must  listen  to  me." 

"  Oh,  if  I  must,"  she  answered,  "  I  sup 
pose  I  must.  But  you  needn't  be  so  vio 
lent  about  it." 

"  Nita,  if  you  only  knew  — "  he  be 
gan. 

"  Where  is  your  seat  ?"  she  interrupted. 

"  In  the  rear  car,''  he  replied. 

"  The  Boston  car?"  she  continued. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered. 

"That's  the  one  Miss  Marlenspuyk  is 
in,"  she  returned.  "  She's  a  great  friend 
of  mine,  and  perhaps — mind,  I  say  only 
perhaps — I  may  go  back  there  by-and-by, 
just  to  have  a  little  chat  with  her." 


44  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

"  Nita,  you  are  an  angel,"  he  answered, 
trying  to  take  her  hand  again. 

She  foiled  this  attempt  with  quiet  dig 
nity.  "  I  think  it  will  be  best  if  Uncle 
Carkendal  and  aunty  don't  know  that 
you  are  on  the  train,"  she  said.  "So 
you  had  better  stay  here  till  we  get  to 
Utica,  which  will  be  in  a  few  minutes  now. 
Then  you  can  step  out  there,  and  slip 
back  to  your  seat  through  the  crowd  in 
the  station,  so  they  won't  see  you.  I 
sha'n't  pay  my  visit  to  Miss  Marlenspuyk 
until  after  we  leave  Utica." 

She  touched  her  lips  to  the  coffee,  and 
then  rose  to  go. 

"  Don't  leave  me  yet,"  he  cried. 

"  I  must,"  she  answered.  "  But  if  you 
are  a  good  boy,  I'll  introduce  you  to 
Miss  Marlenspuyk  after  we  get  to  Utica. 
She's  the  most  delightful  old  maid  I 
know." 

And  with  that  she  was  gone,  leaving 
him  quite  alone  in  the  dining-car. 


IN   THE 
SLEEPING-CAR.   FROM  BOSTON 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR  FROM   BOSTON      47 


III 

IN    THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM    BOSTON 

WHEN  the  train  drew  into  the  dark 
station  at  Utica  about  half -past  three, 
Hallett  Larcom  stepped  down  from  the 
platform  of  the  dining-car,  and  threaded 
his  way  through  the  crowd  about  the 
tracks,  and  thus  regained  the  Boston 
sleeper  at  the  far  end  of  the  train.  He 
dropped  into  his  seat  just  in  time  to 
hear  Miss  Marlenspuyk  remark  : 

"  My  father  used  to  say  that  no  wom 
an  had  a  right  to  dress  so  as  to  attract  at 
tention,  unless  she  was  beautiful  enough 
to  reward  it." 

"That  is  a  hard  saying,"  Mrs.  Hitch 
cock  responded. 

"  I  took  it  to  heart  in  the  days  of  my 
youth,  when  I  was  homely,"  Miss  Mar- 


48  IN   THE  VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

lenspuyk  returned,  "and  I've  on  it  acted 
ever  since." 

"  I  won't  believe  that  you  were  ever  a 
homely  girl,"  asserted  Mrs.  Hitchcock. 

"  You  may  believe  it,  for  I  was  plain 
enough,  goodness  knows  !  My  brother 
told  me  once  he  never  could  keep  the 
clock  wound  up  when  I  was  at  home." 

"Indeed?"  Mrs.  Hitchcock  returned, 
doubtfully.  "  How  curious !" 

"  It  wasn't  until  I  was  nearly  three 
score  and  ten  that  I  had  any  looks  at 
all,"  Miss  Marlenspuyk  continued.  "Of 
course,  now  I  know  that  I  am  a  very  pre 
sentable  old  tabby." 

Mrs.  Hitchcock's  reply  was  lost  in  the 
sudden  starting  of  the  train,  and  indeed 
Hallett  Larcom  hardly  heard  the  conver 
sation  of  the  two  ladies  who  were  talk 
ing  barely  a  yard  behind  his  ears.  He 
was  conscious  of  nothing  but  his  own  ex 
ceeding  joyfulness.  He  had  seen  Nita 
again,  and  they  had  made  up,  and  they 
would  never  quarrel  more.  His  heart 
swelled  with  abundant  happiness,  and  he 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR  FROM   BOSTON      49 

was  oblivious  of  all  things  else.  He 
failed  to  remark  that  the  clouds  were 
now  clearing  away,  and  that  the  wester 
ing  sun  shone  out  for  the  first  time  that 
day.  He  did  not  see  the  lovely  views 
which  passed  before  his  staring  eyes,  and 
he  was  careless  that  the  trees  showed  the 
first  faint  flush  of  the  fall,  and  that  the 
yellowing  leaves  were  whirled  along  in 
the  wake  of  the  train. 

He  did  not  even  hear  Mrs.  Hitchcock's 
declaration  that  her  head  ached,  and  that 
she  would  therefore  go  back  to  her  own 
private  compartment  at  the  rear  of  the 
car.  He  did  not  see  this  declaration  car 
ried  into  effect,  and  he  did  not  note  the 
stoppage  of  the  stream  of  talk  behind 
him.  He  was  thinking  of  Nita,  and  only 
of  her.  He  was  wondering  how  soon  he 
could  see  her  again — how  soon  she  would 
come  to  the  car  where  he  was  awaiting 
her.  He  kept  watch  of  the  door,  and  was 
disappointed  as  it  opened  only  to  admit 
the  conductor,  or  a  passenger  returning 
from  the  smoking  car,  or  the  train  boy, 


5O  IN    THE    VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

who  proffered  for  sale  a  tall  armful  of 
novels,  which  were  distributed  about  for 
examination  that  a  casual  purchaser 
might  be  tempted.  As  it  chanced,  the 
volume  which  was  laid  on  the  lap  of 
Hallett  Larcom  was  Their  Wedding 
Journey.  As  he  glanced  down  involun 
tarily  and  caught  the  title  of  the  book, 
he  thought  bitterly  of  the  irony  of  fate. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  the  foolish  quarrel, 
now  all  explained  away,  he  would  then  be 
going  on  his  bridal  tour.  Oddly  enough, 
the  trip  would  have  been  along  the  same 
road,  for  Nita  and  he  had  determined  to 
go  to  Niagara  on  their  way  to  his  home 
in  Denver. 

It  must  have  been  near  four  o'clock 
when  the  vestibule  door  at  the  head  of 
the  car  was  pushed  open,  and  Anita  Ver- 
non  stood  for  a  moment  in  the  door 
way. 

Hallet  Larcom  sprang  forward,  but  be 
fore  he  could  reach  her  she  had  already 
recognized  Miss  Marlenspuyk  in  the  sec 
tion  behind  him. 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR  FROM   BOSTON      51 

"  Why,  Mr.  Larcom  !"  she  cried,  as 
though  surprised  to  see  him.  "  Who 
would  ever  have  thought  of  seeing  you 
here?" 

She  shook  hands  with  him  speechless, 
and  brushed  past  to  Miss  Marlenspuyk, 
conscious  that  her  cheeks  were  not.  burn 
ing,  although  nearly  every  eye  in  the  car 
was  raised  at  her  entrance. 

"  Annie  Vernon,"  said  Miss  Marlen 
spuyk,  "  it's  very  good  of  you  to  come 
back  here  to  see  an  old  woman." 

"  But  you  are  the  dearest  old  woman 
in  the  world,"  returned  Anita  Vernon, 
dropping  into  the  place  Mrs.  Hitchcock 
had  recently  vacated. 

Not  knowing  exactly  what  to  make  of 
this,  her  lover  stood  helpless  in  the  aisle. 
She  looked  up,  and  saw  his  masculine 
predicament. 

"  Miss  Marlenspuyk,"  she  said,  "  may  I 
present  Mr.  Larcom  to  you  ?" 

He  bowed,  and  shook  the  hand  the  old 
lady  held  out  to  him,  and  sank  into  the 
seat  before  them. 


52  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

"  Mr.  Hallett  Larcom  ?"  inquired  Miss 
Marlenspuyk,  with  intention. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  young  lady,  and 
her  dark  eyes  met  Miss  Marlenspuyk's 
gaze  without  flinching. 

"  But  I  thought — "  began  the  elderly 
woman.  "  However,  it's  none  of  my  busi 
ness." 

"You  are  an  old  friend  and  a  good 
friend  too,"  asserted  Anita,  sinking  her 
voice,  "and  I  can  tell  you  everything." 

"  That  would  take  a  long  while,"  re 
turned  Miss  Marlenspuyk ;  "  but  I  con 
fess  I  am  a  little  curious  to  know  how  it 
is  that  you  and  Mr.  Larcom  here  happen 
to  be  on  the  same  train." 

"  It's  all  an  accident,  I  assure  you,  Miss 
Marlenspuyk,"  he  broke  in.  "  I  had  no 
idea  Nita  was  on  board  until  I  heard  you 
mention  her  name.  And  then  I  just  had 
to  go  and  look  her  up." 

"You  know  we  were  engaged,"  said 
Anita,  shyly,  "  and  I  was  foolish  enough 
to  believe  some  silly  stuff  Uncle  Carken- 
dal  had  heard  about  Hallett,  and — " 


IiN    THE    SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON      53 

"  Oh,  it  was  he  who  told  you,  was  it?" 
Hallett  interrupted. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  let  you  know  that," 
she  answered ;  "  but  he  only  reported 
what  he  had  heard,  and  I  was  goose 
enough  to  think  that  there  might  be 
something  in  it,  and  Hallett — 

"  And  I  was  too  proud  to  defend  my 
self,"  he  interrupted  again.  "  And  so  it 
was  broken  off,  and  I  haven't  had  a  hap 
py  hour  since." 

"  Neither  have  I,"  she  responded.  "  But 
now  we  have  explained  everything,  and  I 
shall  never  be  so  silly  again." 

"  I  see, "said  Miss  Marlenspuyk  ;  "and 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  was  a  very  lucky 
railroad  accident  for  you  both  that  you 
should  both  happen  to  be  passengers  on 
the  same  train." 

"  Nita,"  declared  Hallett  Larcom,  lean 
ing  forward,  "you  haven't  told  me  how 
it  is  that  you  are  here." 

"  Haven't  I  ?"  she  answered.  "  I'm  here 
because  I  knew  you  were  very  proud,  and 
I'd  treated  you  so  badly  you'd  never  come 

7 


54  IN    THE   VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

to  me,  and  I  knew  I  couldn't  be  happy 
without  you  one  single  day,  so  when  Un 
cle  Carkendal  was  going  to  start  off  on 
his  rounds,  I  asked  aunty  to  take  me 
along,  because,  you  see,  I  thought  that  per 
haps  while  we  were  in  Denver  I  might — 

"  You  are  going  to  Denver?"  he  cried. 
"  Nita,  you  are  an  angel !" 

"  No, she  isn't, "said  Miss  Marlenspuyk. 
"  She's  only  a  woman." 

"Well,  I'm  satisfied  with  her  just  as 
she  is,"  he  returned,  emphatically. 

"  And  so  the  engagement  is  on  again  ?" 
was  Miss  Marlenspuyk's  next  inquiry. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  asserted  the  lover. 

"  Is  it  ?"  queried  the  young  lady.  "  I 
suppose  it  must  be." 

"Don't  you  want  to  marry  me?"  he 
asked. 

"  I  don't  want  another  engagement," 
she  responded,  "  with  congratulations, 
and  presents,  and  fixing  the  day  once 
more,  and  all  that.  I  couldn't  stand  it 
again." 

"  You  are  the  only  wedding  present  I 


IN    THE    SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON      57 

want,"  he  declared.  "  And  as  for  fixing 
the  day,  I'll  elope  with  you  to-morrow,  if 
you'll  have  me  at  such  short  notice." 

"  There  is  plenty  of  time  to  talk  of 
that,"  she  responded,  rising.  "  I'll  see 
you  again  before  we  arrive  in  Chicago 
to-morrow  morning." 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  leave  us 
now  ?"  he  asked,  piteously. 

"  I  must,"  she  answered,  taking  off  her 
long  musketeer  gloves.  "  Uncle  Carken- 
dal  will  be  wondering  what  has  become 
of  me." 

"  And  sha'n't  I  see  you  again  to 
night  ?"  he  besought. 

She  let  her  gloves  fall  upon  the  seat 
from  which  she  had  just  risen.  "  If  I 
forget  them  here,"  she  said, "  I  suppose  I 
shall  have  to  come  back  for  them." 

Miss  Marlenspuyk  smiled.  "Your 
mother  was  a  woman,"  was  her  comment. 

"  How  soon  will  you  come  ?"  Larcom 
inquired,  eagerly. 

"  Not  till  after  dinner,"  she  answered. 
"  I'll  come  back  just  to  say  good-night 


54  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

to  me,  and  I  knew  I  couldn't  be  happy 
without  you  one  single  day,  so  when  Un 
cle  Carkendal  was  going  to  start  off  on 
his  rounds,  I  asked  aunty  to  take  me 
along,  because,  you  see,  I  thought  that  per 
haps  while  we  were  in  Denver  I  might — 

"  You  are  going  to  Denver?"  he  cried. 
"  Nita,  you  are  an  angel !" 

"  No, she  isn't," said  Miss  Marlenspuyk. 
"  She's  only  a  woman." 

"Well,  I'm  satisfied  with  her  just  as 
she  is,"  he  returned,  emphatically. 

"  And  so  the  engagement  is  on  again  ?" 
was  Miss  Marlenspuyk's  next  inquiry. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  asserted  the  lover. 

"  Is  it  ?"  queried  the  young  lady.  "  I 
suppose  it  must  be." 

"Don't  you  want  to  marry  me?"  he 
asked. 

"  I  don't  want  another  engagement," 
she  responded,  "  with  congratulations, 
and  presents,  and  fixing  the  day  once 
more,  and  all  that.  I  couldn't  stand  it 
again." 

"  You  are  the  only  wedding  present  I 


IN    THE    SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON      57 

want,"  he  declared.  "  And  as  for  fixing 
the  day,  I'll  elope  with  you  to-morrow,  if 
you'll  have  me  at  such  short  notice." 

"  There  is  plenty  of  time  to  talk  of 
that,"  she  responded,  rising.  "  I'll  see 
you  again  before  we  arrive  in  Chicago 
to-morrow  morning." 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  leave  us 
now?"  he  asked,  piteously. 

"  I  must,"  she  answered,  taking  off  her 
long  musketeer  gloves.  "  Uncle  Carken- 
dal  will  be  wondering  what  has  become 
of  me." 

"  And  sha'n't  I  see  you  again  to 
night?"  he  besought. 

She  let  her  gloves  fall  upon  the  seat 
from  which  she  had  just  risen.  "  If  I 
forget  them  here, "she  said, "I  suppose  I 
shall  have  to  come  back  for  them." 

Miss  Marlenspuyk  smiled.  "Your 
mother  was  a  woman,"  was  her  comment. 

"  How  soon  will  you  come  ?"  Larcom 
inquired,  eagerly. 

"  Not  till  after  dinner,"  she  answered. 
"  I'll  come  back  just  to  say  good-night 


58  IN    THE   VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

before  we  get  to  Buffalo.  And  now  I 
must  leave  you,  and  I  want  you  to  be 
very  nice  to  Miss  Marlenspuyk,  and  very 
attentive,  for  she's  a  dear  friend  of  mine, 
and  she's  just  as  good  as  she  can  be." 

And  with  that  she  kissed  the  old  lady, 
and  shook  hands  with  the  wondering 
lover,  and  vanished  through  the  vestibule 
door. 

He  stood  looking  after  her  for  a  mo 
ment  in  silence.  Then  he  took  the  seat 
beside  Miss  Marlenspuyk. 

"  Don't  you  think  you  are  a  very  lucky 
young  man  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Don't  I  ?"  was  his  energetic  answer. 

"I'm  very  fond  of  nice  girls,  and  I 
know  lots  of  them,  but  I  don't  know  one 
nicer  than  Annie  Vernon.  When  are 
you  two  going  to  be  married  ?" 

The  young  man  smiled  bitterly.  "  We 
-were  going  to  be  married  to-day — I  be 
lieve  the  cards  were  printed — but  now 
I  don't  know  when  the  wedding  will  be. 
Nita  says  she  doesn't  want  another  en 
gagement  and  more  cards;  and  she's 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON     59 

travelling  with  old  Carkendal,  and  he 
disapproves  of  me,  it  seems;  and  I'm 
afraid  he'll  disapprove  of  me  all  the  more 
when  he  gets  out  to  Denver.  But  wait 
till  I  get  her  out  there,  and  I'll  make  her 
marry  me — off-hand — on  the  spot." 

"An  engagement  is  only  a  skirmish,  you 
know,"  Miss  Marlenspuyk  said,  "while 
matrimony  is  a  pitched  battle  ;  and  love, 
like  war,  has  its  food  for  powder.  Do 
you  think  you  are  going  to  be  happy  ?" 

"  I'm  certain  of  it,"  he  replied,  forcibly. 

"  And  she  ?"  asked  the  old  lady. 

"  I  shall  do  my  best  to  make  her  hap 
py,"  he  answered,  with  ardor;  "and  if 
love  can  give  happiness,  she  is  sure  of  it. 
Why  do  you  doubt  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  responded,  with  a 
note  of  sadness  in  her  voice.  "  For  the 
most  part  happiness  is  either  a  hope  or  a 
memory ;  it  is  rarely  a  present  possession, 
even  during  the  honey-moon  ;  and  you 
two  have  quarrelled  once  already." 

"  That  was  a  stupid  mistake,"  he  de 
clared  ;  "  it  will  never  happen  again." 


60  IN    THE   VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

"  Perhaps  not,"  the  old  lady  assented, 
"  and  yet —  Well,  you  seem  to  be  a 
straightforward  young  fellow,  decent  and 
manly,  and  you  certainly  are  very  much  in 
love.  Why  do  you  wait  till  you  get  to  Den 
ver  ?  To-day  was  your  appointed  wed 
ding-day—why  not  marry  Annie  to-day?" 

"To-day?"  he  echoed,  taken  by  sur 
prise. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered. 

"  On  the  cars  ?"  he  went  on. 

"  Why  not  ?"  was  her  retort. 

"  But  how  ?"  he  asked.  "  There  isn't  a 
clergyman  on  the  train." 

"  Yes,  there  is.  I  saw  him  at  lunch," 
she  responded. 

"And  where  could  he  marry  us?"  the 
young  man  inquired,  having  at  last  seized 
the  fact  that  the  old  lady's  suggestion 
was  possible. 

"  My  friend  Mrs.  Hitchcock  has  a  pri 
vate  compartment  in  the  rear  of  this  car," 
said  Miss  Marlenspuyk.  "  I  will  borrow 
it  from  her  if  you  will  get  the  clergy 
man." 


IN    THE    SLEEPING-CAR   FROM  BOSTON      6l 

"And  will  Nita  consent?"  he  asked, 
doubtfully. 

"  Ah,"  returned  the  old  lady,  "as  to 
that  I  don't  know.  You  will  have  to 
talk  her  over." 

"  And  I'll  do  it,  too,"  said  Hallett  Lar- 
com,  emphatically.  "  Miss  Marlenspuyk, 
Nita  was  right  to  call  you  good.  You  are 
more  than  that ;  you've  got  lots  of  busi 
ness  sense." 

Miss  Marlenspuyk  smiled.  "  I  hope  I 
am  not  so  old,"  she  said,  "  that  I  cannot 
understand  young  folks'  ways." 

"Who  is  this  clergyman  you  saw?"  he 
inquired.  "Do  you  know  him?  Can't 
you  give  me  a  few  pointers  about 
him  ?" 

"  He  is  Dr.  Pennington,"  she  respond 
ed —  "  Dr.  Rittenhouse  Huger  Penning 
ton,  of  Philadelphia  — and  I  know  him 
pretty  well.  He  is  a  portly  man  of  about 
fifty,  with  grayish  side  whiskers.  He  was 
a  lawyer  before  he  entered  the  ministry. 
He  is  a  clever  man — perhaps  a  little  too 
well  aware  of  his  cleverness." 


62  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

"  I  see,"  Larcom  assented.  "  Then  1 
suppose  I  can  flatter  him  up?" 

"  Flattery  is  a  skeleton-key  that  opens 
the  hearts  of  most  men,"  the  old  maid 
answered.  "  If  you  insert  it  skilfully  into 
Dr.  Pennington,  you  can  probably  get 
anything  out  of  him  you  want." 

"  I  think  I  have  him  down  fine,"  he 
said.  "  Philadelphian — used  to  be  a  law 
yer—thinks  a  good  deal  of  himself.  Oh, 
I  say,  perhaps  he  won't  think  much  of 
me.  He  doesn't  know  me  from  Adam — 
except  by  the  costume." 

"  Are  you  a  son  of  General  Larcom  ?" 
she  asked. 

"  How  did  you  know?"  he  returned. 

"Your  mother  was  an  Otis,  wasn't  she?" 

He  nodded. 

Then  she  went  on.  "  Well,  let  him 
know  that,  and  he  will  be  glad  to  see 
you  :  he's  a  Philadelphian.  My  mother 
was  a  Philadelphian,  you  see,  and  so  I 
have  a  sort  of  doomsday-book  memory." 

"What  is  Dr.  Pennington's  church?" 
he  inquired. 


IN   THE   SI.EEPING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON     63 

"  He  is  the  rector  of  St.  Boniface's," 
she  replied. 

"  Then  I  suppose  he  will  have  on  a 
white  choker  and  a  regular  clergyman's 
outfit?"  he  continued.  "I  guess  I  can 
recognize  him."  He  took  out  his  watch 
and  looked  at  it.  "  It's  ten  minutes  to 
five  now.  At  four-fifty-five  we  are  due  in 
Syracuse,  and  then  I'll  slip  through  the 
crowd  once  more,  and  get  into  the  smoker 
without  letting  Uncle  Carkendal  catch 
sight  of  me.  If  the  dominie  is  there,  I'll 
tackle  him ;  I've  got  two  hours  to  do  it 
in,  for  we  don't  get  to  Rochester  till  six- 
fifty.  If  he  has  left  the  smoker,  I'll  pur 
sue  him  to  his  lair,  even  if  I  have  to  face 
the  Carkendals,  male  and  female.  Has 
the  doctor  any  special  hobby?" 

"  Let's  see,"  the  old  lady  replied.  "  He 
plays  whist,  and  he  is  President  of  the 
Prison  Reform  League,  and  he  is  very 
Broad  Church  ;  but  what  he  is  most  in 
terested  in  is  himself." 

"  A  real  philanthropist,  I  suppose,"  the 
young  man  commented  ;  "  he  believes  in 


64  IN    THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

the  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  num 
ber,  only  in  his  eyes  the  greatest  number 
is  No.  i.  It's  lucky  I've  only  two  hours' 
with  him  ;  he  might  be  a  terrible  bore." 

"  You  can  always  treat  an  egotist  on' 
the  homoeopathic  plan,"  said  Miss  Mar- 
lenspuyk,  as  the  train  slackened  its  speed 
on  entering  Syracuse.  "Talk  to  him 
about  yourself,  you  know." 

"  I  won't  try  the  remedy  till  after  I've 
got  him  to  promise  to  marry  us,"  Lar- 
com  returned;  "and  I'll  make  him  do 
that,  if  I  have  to  use  personal  violence." 

"  And  if  that  fails,"  the  old  lady  sug 
gested,  "  you  can  tell  him  that  I  am  in 
this  car,  and  that  I  would  like  to  see  him 
for  a  few  minutes.  Perhaps  I  may  be 
able  to  persuade  him." 

Then  the  train  stopped  in  the  station 
at  Syracuse.  Hallett  Larcom  started  for 
the  door  of  the  car.  Miss  Marlenspuyk 
reached  down  to  her  travelling  bag  and 
took  out  of  it  a  simply  bound  copy  of  Le 
Monde  oil  I  on  sennuie. 


IN   THE 
SMOKING-CAR  FROM  NEW  YORK 


IN   THE   SMOKING-CAR   FROM   NEW  YORK    67 


IV 

IN  THE  SMOKING-CAR  FROM  NEW  YORK 

THE  car  at  the  head  of  the  New  York 
and  Chicago  Limited  was  divided,  and 
subserved  several  uses.  The  forward 
half  of  it  contained  the  baggage ;  the  two 
small  compartments  "  amidships,"  so  to 
speak,  were  arranged,  one  as  a  bath-room 
and  the  other  as  a  barber-shop  ;  and  then 
came  the  more  spacious  saloon  reserved 
for  the  smokers,  and  furnished  with  a  buf 
fet — or,  in  other  words  with  abar — behind 
which  stood  the  sable  attendant,  who  was 
ready  to  prepare  a  mixed  drink  for  the 
traveller,  or  to  provide  him  with  any  book 
that  might  be  chosen  from  the  little  li 
brary  of  modern  literature  that  filled  two 
or  three  shelves.  Here  also  were  desks 
supplied  with  abundant  writing  materials. 


68  IN    THE    VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

When  Hallett  Larcom  entered  this 
smoking-car  at  Syracuse  there  were  only 
six  or  seven  men  in  it,  lounging  about  in 
the  comfortable  wicker  arm-chairs  ;  and 
it  was  with  pleasure  that  he  discovered 
the  Rev.  Rittenhouse  Huger  Penning- 
ton  among  them.  There  was  no  diffi 
culty  whatever  in  recognizing  him  from 
Miss  Marlenspuyk's  description.  He  was 
obviously  a  clergyman,  and  as  obviously 
a  Philadelphian.  He  was  portly  and 
handsome,  full-bodied  and  full-blooded, 
with  an  air  of  high  breeding,  and  with 
the  manner  of  one  accustomed  to  defer 
ence.  Larcom  saw  at  once  that  Dr.  Pen- 
nington  was  certainly  Broad  Church,  that 
he  probably  played  whist,  and  that  he 
was  a  proper  President  of  the  Prison  Re 
form  League,  at  once  dignified  and  ener 
getic.  The  young  Denver  lawyer  "  took 
stock  "  of  the  Philadelphia  clergyman — 
he  "  sized  him  up,"  to  use  his  own  idiom 
— and  he  decided  that  whatever  the  rec 
tor  of  St.  Boniface  might  undertake  to  do 
would  be  thoroughly  well  done,  and  that 


IN  THE  SMOKING-CAR  FROM   NEW  YORK    69 

therefore  the  rector  of  St.  Boniface  would 
be  an  excellent  person  to  perform  the 
rite  of  marriage  between  Hallett  Larcom 
and  Anita  Vernon.  He  concluded  also, 
after  as  careful  a  study  of  Dr.  Penning- 
ton's  face  as  he  dared  attempt,  that  it 
would  be  no  easy  matter  to  persuade  the 
clergyman  to  marry  them,  but  that  it 
might  be  done  if  one  went  to  work  about 
it  in  the  right  way. 

When  the  train  rolled  out  of  the  Syra 
cuse  station  at  five  o'clock,  Dr.  Penning- 
ton  had  been  engaged  in  conversation  by 
a  casual  stranger,  a  littie  sandy  man,  who 
was  smoking  a  rapid  succession  of  ciga 
rettes.  To  this  person's  loquacity  Dr. 
Pennington,  who  was  finishing  a  remark 
ably  good  cigar,  listened  with  an  air  of 
amused  superiority,  of  which  the  little 
man  was  wholly  unconscious. 

Hallett  Larcom  dropped  into  a  seat 
opposite  to  them,  and  began  his  study  of 
the  clergyman  so  that  he  might  devise  a 
plan  of  attack. 

The   little  sandy   man   had   just  laid 


70  IN   THE  VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

down  a  newspaper.  "  There's  England, 
now,"  he  was  saying,  "she  can't  keep  her 
hands  off  the  rest  of  the  world.  She's 
always  prying  and  meddling  and  grab 
bing  something  somewhere.  There  isn't 
anything  too  big  for  Great  Britain  to 
swallow,  and  there  isn't  anything  too  lit 
tle,  either.  She  just  takes  anything  she 
can  lay  her  hands  on." 

"  Except  a  joke,"  remarked  the  Phila- 
delphian,  blandly. 

"  How  ?"  asked  the  other. 

"  England  is  not  quick  at  taking  a 
jest,"  explained  the  clergyman.  "  The 
British  are  known  to  be  often  impervious 
to  humor." 

"Oh,  I  see,"  said  the  little  man. 
"  That's  so,  too.  As  my  brother  says — 
he  is  in  the  hardware  business  at  Utica, 
and  got  almost  the  biggest  store  in  the 
city,  too — as  my  brother  says, '  If  you've 
got  to  explain  a  joke  to  an  Englishman, 
you  want  to  start  in  early  in  the  morning 
and  take  your  dinner  pail  along.' " 


IN   THE   SMOKING-CAR   FROM   NEW  YORK    71 

"  Indeed,"  assented  Dr.  Pennington, 
courteously. 

"  And  he's  got  a  joke  for  'em,  too,"  the 
little  man  went  on,  "  a  real  practical  joke, 
if  they'll  only  take  it.  His  idea  is  to  find 
an  English  syndicate  to  buy  out  all  the 
retail  hardware  stores  in  the  United 
States.  He'll  sell  his,  too — at  a  price. 
He  ain't  afraid  of  British  gold,  he  ain't." 

The  Philadelphia  clergyman  continued 
to  listen  with  amused  tolerance,  like  an 
explorer  on  his  first  meeting  with  some 
strange  new  manner  of  man. 

By  this  time  Larcom  had  concluded 
his  examination  of  Dr.  Pennington,  and 
he  had  made  his  deductions  therefrom. 
He  believed  that  he  would  be  able  to 
persuade  the  clergyman  to  perform  the 
marriage.  Believing  this,  he  made  ready 
for  the  event.  Certain  that  the  Phila- 
delphian  would  not  leave  the  smoking 
car  until  his  cigar  was  finished,  Larcom 
left  his  seat  and  went  over  to  one  of  the 
little  desks.  Taking  pen  and  paper,  he 
thought  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  wrote 


72  IN   THE   VESTIBULE  LIMITED 

a  letter,  pausing  now  and  again  as  though 
to  pick  a  word,  and  smiling  as  if  it  were 
a  joke  which  he  enjoyed  hugely.  When 
the  letter  was  written  he  read  it  over 
carefully,  and  enclosed  it  in  an  envelope, 
which  he  addressed  to  John  Abram  Car- 
kendal,  Esq.  Then  he  placed  it  in  his 
pocket. 

Thinking  that  Dr.  Pennington  must 
now  be  nearing  the  end  of  his  cigar,  Lar- 
com  left  the  half -screened  section  in 
which  the  desks  were  made  private,  and 
returned  to  the  main  smoking  saloon. 
He  was  just  in  time  to  see  the  sandy  lit 
tle  man  rise  from  his  seat  by  the  side  of 
the  clergyman,  saying : 

"I  really  must  go  now.  I've  got  my 
wife  back  there  in  the  sleeper,  and  she 
don't  like  to  be  left  more  than  two  or 
three  hours  at  a  whack.  You  know  what 
women  are.  But  I'm  mighty  glad  to 
have  seen  you,  and  if  you  ever  get  out  to 
Sheboygan,  you  must  come  and  see  me. 
My  name's  Cyrus  C.  Tuttle.  I've  got  the 
biggest  clothing  emporium  in  all  that 


IN  THE   SMOKING-CAR    FROM    NHW    YOKK 


IN   THE   SMOKING-CAR    FROM   NEW  YORK    75 

section  of  Wisconsin,  and  I'll  be  glad  to 
show  you  round." 

When  he  had  gone,  Larcom  took  the 
seat  just  vacated.  "  Have  I  not  the  pleas 
ure  of  speaking  to  Dr.  Pennington  ?"  he 
began. 

"  That  is  my  name,"  said  the  Philadel- 
phian,  with  a  faint  intonation  of  severity. 

"  I  thought  I  could  not  be  mistaken, 
although  I  have  never  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  you  before,"  the  young  man 
continued. 

Dr.  Pennington's  silence  indicated  cold 
but  courteous  expectation. 

"  My  name  is  Hallett  Larcom,  and  I 
think  you  used  to  know  my  father.  Gen 
eral  Larcom." 

"  Bless  my  soul !"  said  the  clergyman, 
with  sudden  cordiality.  "Are  you  a  son 
of  Eldridge  Larcom  ?  Yes,  I  see  a  like 
ness,  now  that  I  look  for  it.  I  went  to 
Trinity  College  with  your  father,  and  we 
studied  law  together  in  Judge  Hildreth's 
office  at  Hartford.  I  gave  up  the  law  for 
the  Church,  but  your  father  had  no  sum- 


76  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

mons  to  the  pulpit,  and  he  remained  at 
the  bar.  He  used  to  say  that  I  preached 
and  he  practised.  Ha  !  ha  !" 

Hallett  Larcom's  laugh  at  his  father's 
joke  was  commingled  of  filial  piety  and 
self-seeking  tact. 

"And  your  mother,"  Dr.  Pennington 
continued,  "  she  was  a  charming  woman, 
Miss  Otis,  was  she  not  ?  Ah  !  I  thought 
my  memory  was  not  at  fault.  There 
were  three  sisters,  all  charming  women. 
Ah,  young  man  !  it  is  for  you  to  be  proud 
that  you  come  of  so  good  a  stock.  There 
are  forms  of  family  pride  that  are  foolish 
and  offensive,  no  doubt ;  but  a  proper  re 
spect  for  one's  ancestors,  and  for  one's 
self  as  their  descendant,  is  not  misplaced. 
That  it  is  which  makes  me  so  thorough 
ly  out  of  patience  with  this  Darwinian 
theory,  which  otherwise  has  much  to  rec 
ommend  it.  How  can  a  man  expect  sym 
pathy  who  insists  on  climbing  up  his  own 
family  tree  merely  to  shake  hands  with 
the  monkey  grinning  at  the  top?" 

Thus  Dr.  Pennington  dropped  at  once 


IN   THE   SMOKING-CAR   FROM   NEW  YORK    77 

into  friendly  talk  with  the  son  of  his  old 
friend,  and  thus  the  young  man  let  him 
run  on,  acting  the  part  of  the  good  lis 
tener,  and  supplying  the  proper  propor 
tion  of  appreciative  queries.  Knowing 
that  the  man  with  a  hobby  is  always  anx 
ious  to  lead  a  cavalry  charge  on  it,  Lar- 
com  slowly  steered  the  conversation  to 
the  subject  of  prison  reform,  and  finally 
captivated  the  President  of  the  League 
by  adducing  certain  heretical  theories, 
and  then  allowing  himself  to  be  con 
vinced  of  their  falsity,  and  converted  to 
the  proper  opinion. 

Thus  the  time  passed,  and  the  train 
drew  nigh  to  Rochester,  and  as  yet  Hal- 
lett  Larcom  had  seen  no  chance  of  in 
troducing  the  subject  nearest  his  heart. 
Once  or  twice,  when  occasion  served,  the 
young  man  had  not  ventured  to  avail 
himself  of  it,  in  spite  of  himself  awed 
not  a  little  by  the  impressive  manner  of 
the  clergyman.  What  he  wanted  Dr. 
Pennington  to  do  was  most  unconven 
tional,  and  Larcom  really  dreaded  the 


78  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

expression  of  condemnatory  surprise  with 
which  the  rector  of  St.  Boniface's  would 
surely  greet  his  request.  The  afternoon 
waned,  and  there  was  a  beautiful  sunset, 
rosy  with  promise  and  gilt  by  hope ;  then 
the  brief  twilight  descended,  and  veiled 
the  fleeting  landscape  with  its  haze.  Still 
the  young  lawyer  from  Denver  had  not 
yet  mustered  up  courage  to  ask  the 
clergyman  from  Philadelphia  to  perform 
the  marriage  ceremony. 

At  last  Dr.  Pennington  looked  at  his 
watch.  "  Bless  my  soul !"  he  said.  "  It 
is  nearly  seven  o'clock.  I  must  go  and 
see  what  they  can  give  me  for  dinner. 
Really  the  table  is  not  at  all  bad,  when 
you  consider  the  many  difficulties  under 
which  the  cooks  must  labor ;  and  of 
course  any  one  who  is  used  to  good  liv 
ing  does  not  expect  too  much  when  he 
is  travelling." 

At  ten  minutes  to  seven  the  train  was 
due  in  Rochester,  and  if  Larcom  did  not 
capture  his  clergyman  then,  he  had  lost 
his  last  chance.  He  roused  himself  as 


IN   THE   SMOKING-CAR   FROM   NEW   YORK   79 

the  engine  slowed  up  on  nearing  the  sta 
tion. 

"  Doctor  Pennington,"  he  began,  in 
desperation,  "  I  have  a  very  great  favor 
to  ask  you." 

"  What  is  it?"  the  clergyman  returned, 
with  a  stiffening  of  manner  so  slight  that 
only  a  man  made  doubly  observant  by 
anxiety  could  detect  it. 

Yet,  slight  as  it  was,  it  sufficed  to  check 
Larcom  again.  Then  he  caught  at  a 
means  of  saving  time,  and  of  gaining  a 
more  favorable  occasion  for  making  the 
final  request. 

"  You  know  Miss  Marlenspuyk,  of  New 
York  ?"  he  said,  hurriedly. 

"  A  charming  old  lady,  and  she  is  on 
the  train  with  us,  I  believe,"  the  doctor 
replied. 

"  Yes,"  the  young  man  went  on  ;  "  it 
was  she  who  told  me  you  were  on  board, 
and  she  told  me  that  she  wanted  to  see 
you  for  a  moment.  There  was  some 
thing  very  particular  she  wished  to  ask 
you." 


8o  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

"  Bless  my  soul !"  declared  Dr.  Penn- 
ington.  "  Something  very  particular  Miss 
Marlenspuyk  wishes  to  ask  me  ?  I  con 
fess  that  I  cannot  conceive  what  it  may 
be.  However,  I  will  go  back  and  wait 
on  her  after  dinner." 

"  Doctor,"  urged  the  young  man,  "  I 
should  take  it  as  a  great  favor  if  you 
would  go  now.  The  train  will  stop  in  a 
minute,  and  we  can  get  out  and  walk 
back  to  the  Boston  car,  where  Miss  Mar 
lenspuyk  is." 

The  brakes  grated  beneath  them  at 
that  moment,  and  the  train  came  gently 
to  a  stand  in  the  Rochester  station. 

"  Well,"  Dr.  Pennington  yielded, "  since 
you  are  so  urgent,  I  will  go  with  you. 
But  I  confess  my  curiosity  to  discover 
why  Miss  Marlenspuyk  desires  to  see  me 
thus  particularly." 

Elated  at  this  temporary  advantage, 
Hallett  Larcom  handed  the  clergyman 
his  hat,  and  the  two  left  the  smoking-car, 
and  walked  through  the  station  towards 
the  end  of  the  train. 


IN    THE 
SLEEPING-CAR  FROM  BOSTON 


IN   THE  SLEEl'ING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON     83 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM    BOSTON 

THE  train  was  starting  forward  again 
just  as  Dr.  Pennington  and  Hallett  Lar- 
com  entered  the  rear  car.  Miss  Marlen- 
spuyk  was  waiting  for  them.  She  greet 
ed  the  clergyman  most  cordially  . 

"  Why,  Dr.  Pennington,"  she  said, "  I'm 
delighted  to  see  you.  It  is  really  very 
kind  of  you  to  come.  I  don't  know  what 
these  young  people  would  have  done  if 
you  had  not  been  here  to  help  them  out 
of  the  difficulty." 

"  I  confess  that  I  can  scarcely  say  I  un 
derstand  exactly  what — "  Dr.  Penning 
ton  began. 

"The  fact  is,  Miss  Marlenspuyk,"  in 
terrupted  Larcom,  "  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  explain  to  Dr.  Pennington  just 


84  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

what  it  was  we  wanted  him  to  do.  I — I 
haven't  had  time.  I  told  him  only  that 
you  wished  to  see  him." 

"And  so  I  do,"  she  declared,  prompt 
ly.  "  I've  arranged  everything  with  Mrs. 
Hitchcock  ;  she  will  be  delighted  to  let 
us  have  her  state-room  whenever  we  are 
ready  for  the  wedding." 

"  For  the  wedding  ?"  echoed  the  cler 
gyman,  in  stiffening  astonishment. 

"  Yes,"  Miss  Marlenspuyk  replied.  "  I 
will  explain  it  all  to  you  in  a  minute." 

"  I  confess  that  I  don't  see — ''  he  be 
gan  again. 

"But  you  shall  see  all  in  good  time," 
the  old  maid  assured  him.  "  Now,  Mr. 
Larcom,  since  you  have  left  this  for  me 
to  do,  I  leave  Annie  Vernon  in  your 
hands.  She  may  be  here  any  minute,  and 
I  rely  on  you  to  break  it  to  her  gently, 
and  to  persuade  her." 

"  I'll  do  that,"  he  declared.  Adding  in 
a  whisper,  "  I  can  coax  her,  if  you  will 
only  talk  over  the  dominie." 

"  I  understood  from  Mr.  Larcom  here," 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON     85 

said  Dr.  Pennington.  "that  you  desired 
to  see  me,  Miss  Marlenspuyk,  and — 

"  And  you  are  a  dear  good  man  to 
come  at  once,"  the  old  maid  broke  in. 
"To-day  is  the  day  fixed  for  Mr.  Lar- 
com's  wedding." 

"  Indeed  ?"  exclaimed  the  clergyman, 
in  surprise.  "  Is  he  then  taking  his  bri 
dal  tour  alone  ?" 

"  He  and  the  young  lady  had  a  lovers' 
quarrel,"  explained  Miss  Marlenspuyk, 
speaking  rapidly,  "  and  broke  off  the  en 
gagement.  But  she  is  on  this  train  to 
day  by  accident,  and  they  have  made  up, 
and  we  rely  on  you  to  marry  them." 

"On  me?"  he  repeated, in  astonishment. 

"  On  you,"  she  returned. 

"  But  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  in 
my  life,"  he  declared. 

"  Neither  did  I,"  she  said  ;  "  but  that's 
no  reason.  Here  are  two  young  people 
engaged  to  be  married,  and  here  is  the 
appointed  day,  and  you  are  the  only 
clergyman  available,  so  of  course  we 
count  on  you." 


86  IN   THE   VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

"  But  I  can't  marry  a  couple  in  another 
man's  parish,"  he  asserted.  "  It  would 
be  most  unprofessional." 

"  Whose  parish  are  you  in  now  ?"  she 
asked. 

"Really  I  have  no  idea,"  he  an 
swered. 

"  This  train  is  going  fully  forty  miles 
an  hour,"  she  declared  ;  "  probably  you 
won't  be  able  to  finish  marrying  them  all 
in  one  parish.  Very  likely  we  shall  even 
be  in  another  diocese  before  the  cere 
mony  is  finished." 

"But,  my  dear  lady,  I — "  he  began 
once  more. 

"  Hush  !"  cried  Miss  Marlenspuyk. 
"  Here  is  the  bride." 

Hallett  Larcom  sprang  to  the  door  as 
Anita  Vernon  passed  in  through  the  ves 
tibule. 

"  I've  run  away  only  for  a  minute,"  she 
said  ;  "  just  to  get  my  gloves." 

"  Never  mind  your  gloves  now,"  her 
lover  responded.  "  Nita,  do  you  know 
what  day  this  is  ?" 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM    BOSTON     87 

"  It's  the  27th  of  September,  isn't  it  ?" 
she  answered. 

"  It's  our  wedding  day,"  he  said.  "  And 
as  we  are  engaged  again,  just  as  if  noth 
ing  had  happened,  we  are  going  to  be 
married  right  now." 

"Now !"  she  repeated.  "  Don't  be  ab 
surd." 

"  But  you  fixed  the  day  yourself,"  he 
answered,  unhesitatingly,  and  with  far 
more  courage  and  energy  than  he  had 
shown  in  his  dealing  with  Dr.  Pennington. 

"  Oh,  I  can't,"  she  declared,  and  he  de 
tected  a  hint  of  wavering  in  her  tone. 

"  You  must,"  he  asserted,  forcibly. 

"  Why  not  wait  till  we  get  to  Denver, 
at  least?"  she  urged. 

"  Because  I  don't  want  to  take  any 
chances,"  he  responded,  firmly.  "  And 
besides,  when  we  get  to  Denver  your  un 
cle  Carkendal  will  be  down  on  me  more 
than  ever  :  I'm  retained  in  three  impor 
tant  cases  against  the  Methuselah." 

"  But  there  isn't  any  clergyman,"  she 
said,  beating  about  for  objections. 


83  IN   THE   VESTIBULE   LIMITED 

"That's  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pennington,"  he 
answered, "talking  to  Miss  Marlenspuyk 
in  the  section  right  behind  us." 

"And  you  haven't  any  ring,"  she  said, 
"  I  can't  be  married  without  a  ring." 

For  a  second  the  lover  was  puzzled. 
Then  he  leaned  forward,  and  unstrapped 
the  leather  valise  on  the  seat  before  him, 
and  unlocked  it  and  took  out  a  little  box. 

When  she  saw  this,  she  said,  "  Oh  !" 

He  opened  the  box  and  lifted  out  a 
diamond  ring. 

"  Here's  the  engagement  ring  you  sent 
back  to  me,"  he  explained,  placing  it  on 
her  finger.  "  Now  we  are  engaged  again. 
And  you  may  remember  that  it  was  a  lit 
tle  too  large,  and  so  I  got  you  a  plain  gold 
'  keeper '  to  hold  it  on  safely.  Here  is 
that  '  keeper,'  and  I  propose  to  use  it  as 
wedding-ring." 

"  We  can't  be  married  out  here,  right 
in  the  middle  of  a  parlor-car,"  she  said, 
with  obvious  signs  of  yielding.  "  That 
would  be  horrid." 

"  Mrs.  Hitchcock  has  the  private  com- 


IN   THE   SLEEPING-CAR   FROM   BOSTON     89 

partmcnt  at  the  end  of  the  car,"  he 
explained,  with  triumphant  persistence, 
"and  she  has  placed  this  at  our  disposal." 

"  Oh,  you  have  an  answer  for  every 
thing,"  said  the  bride. 

"  I  have  an  answer  for  the  dominie 
when  he  asks  me,  by-and-by,  if  I'll  take 
this  woman  for  my  wedded  wife,"  he  re 
plied. 

"  But  I  can't  get  married  without  tell 
ing  aunty,  and  then  there's  Uncle  Car- 
kendal,"  she  objected, 

"  You  are  going  to  get  married  without 
telling  aunty  or  Uncle  Carkendal  either," 
he  declared,  emphatically  ;  "  though  you 
may  go  back  to  them  after  the  ceremony 
for  the  few  minutes  before  we  get  to 
Buffalo." 

"  But  I'd  never  dare  tell  Uncle  Car 
kendal,"  she  said. 

"  You  needn't  tell  him,"  he  responded. 
"  What's  his  seat,  and  what's  the  car  ?" 

"  The  car  is  the  '  Rip  Van  Winkle,' " 
she  answered,  "  and  his  section  is  No.  10." 

He  took  out  of  his  pocket  the  letter  he 


go  IN    THE   VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

had  written  at  the  desk  in  the  smoking 
car,  and  beneath  the  name  of  John  Abram 
Carkendal  he  wrote,  "  Section  10,  sleeper 
'  Rip  Van  Winkle.'  " 

"  Do  you  see  that  ?"  he  asked,  "  That 
is  a  full  explanation,  and  that  will  be 
handed  to  Uncle  Carkendal  by  the  por 
ter  of  the  car  as  the  train  pulls  out  of 
Buffalo  without  us." 

"  Without  us  ?"  she  echoed, 

"  Don't  you  remember  that  we  are  go 
ing  to  Niagara  for  our  wedding  trip?"  he 
explained.  "  You  will  step  out  of  the 
'  Rip  Van  Winkle  'at  Buffalo  at  half-past 
eight,  and  I  will  be  on  the  platform  wait 
ing  for  you,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  we 
shall  be  at  Niagara,  ready  for  a  walk  to 
see  the  Falls  by  moonlight." 

She  looked  at  him  with  admiration. 
"  You  have  a  head  for  business,"  she 
declared.  "  You  quite  take  my  breath 
away." 

Hallett  Larcom  had  never  doubted  of 
his  victory,  but  he  was  rejoiced  when  it 
was  won.  He  rose  to  his  feet,  and  lean- 


IN    THE    SI.EEPIXG-CAk    FROM    BOSTON     91 

ing  over  the  back  of  the  seat,  he  called 
to  the  clergyman,  who  was  sitting  there 
by  the  side  of  Miss  Marlenspuyk,  with 
whom  he  was  still  keeping  up  a  most 
animated  discussion. 

"  Dr.  Pennington,"  said  the  young  man, 
"  I  want  to  introduce  you  to  Miss  Nita 
Vernon,  and  we  are  ready  to  proceed 
with  the  ceremony  whenever  you  are." 

"  Oh,  Hallett  !"  cried  Miss  Vernon. 

"  Is  not  this  the  charming  young  lady 
I  noticed  this  afternoon  in  the  dining- 
car?"  inquired  Dr.  Pennington,  rising. 
"  And,  bless  my  soul !  I  remember  now, 
it  was  you  I  saw  talking  to  her." 

"  You  cannot  refuse  to  marry  so  good- 
looking  a  couple,  can  you,  now  ?"  urged 
Miss  Marlenspuyk.  "  Besides,  I  shall  not 
let  you  go  until  the  ceremony  is  per 
formed,  and  I  warn  you  that  we  shall  be 
in  Buffalo  in  an  hour  now,  and  they  take 
off  the  dining-car  there." 

"  Bless  my  soul !"  said  Dr.  Pennington 
again,  "  I  didn't  know  that.  I  thought 
it  went  all  the  way  to  Chicago.  Well, 


92  IN    THE    VESTIBULE    LIMITED 

then,  if  you  insist,  I  suppose  I  must  mar 
ry  these  young  people,  though  it  is  all 
very  irregular,  and  I  do  hope  that  the 
papers  will  not  get  hold  of  it." 

As  he  walked  to  the  rear  of  the  car 
with  Miss  Marlenspuyk,  following  the 
bride  and  groom,  he  said  :  "  She  is  really 
a  charming  girl.  I  do  not  wonder  that 
he  does  not  desire  the  wedding  day  to  be 
postponed.  I  shall  certainly  claim  the 
old-fashioned  privilege  of  saluting  the 
bride." 

When  they  reached  Mrs.  Hitchcock's 
compartment,  barely  large  enough  to 
hold  them  all,  Miss  Marlenspuyk  had  to 
present  them  to  the  occupant  of  the 
state-room. 

"  I  have  often  heard  my  son  Mather 
speak  of  you,"  said  Mrs.  Hitchcock  to 
Anita. 

"Oh,  is  little  Mat  Hitchcock  your  son?" 
asked  Larcom,  looking  at  Anita,  who 
smiled  gently,  remembering  that  her 
lover  had  once  been  jealous  of  young 
Hitchcock's  attentions  to  her  early  in 


IX    THE    SLEEPING-CAR    FROM    BOSTON"     93 

the  summer  at  Narragansett  Pier,  when 
the  bride  and  the  groom  were  beginning 
to  fall  in  love. 

Then  Miss  Marlenspuyk  produced  a 
prayer-book,  which  she  had  taken  from 
her  bag,  where  it  had  lain  side  by  side 
with  Le  Monde  ou  I' on  sennuie. 

Dr.  Pennington  took  the  book,  and  be 
gan  to  read  the  marriage  service  with 
great  dignity  and  impressiveness.  Miss 
Marlenspuyk,  smiling,  though  a  tear  lay 
close  to  her  eyelid,  acted  as  the  only 
bridesmaid,  and  at  her  request  Mrs. 
Hitchcock  ventured  to  give  away  the 
bride.  The  groom  was  ready  with  the 
ring  when  it  was  needed. 

And  thus,  on  the  appointed  day,  Hal- 
lett  Larcom  and  Anita  Vernon  were 
made  man  and  wife,  while  the  New 
York  and  Chicago  Limited  was  rushing 
onward  through  the  gathering  night  at 
a  speed  of  nearly  fifty  miles  an  hour. 


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